An entire building—just handed over to him so easily.
Nozomi could truly feel how ridiculously wealthy the League was.
He used to think Silph Co. was already generous—two hundred million for an endorsement deal was staggering enough—but now the League had simply gifted him a whole building. And not just anywhere: this was prime real estate in Saffron City. Its value far exceeded two hundred million.
"A week ago, the League had already transferred ownership to your name. I thought you knew—guess that's my oversight," Lance said, looking a bit embarrassed.
At the same time, though, his respect for Nozomi deepened.
Even when the League had failed to offer him proper compensation for taking down Team Rocket, the young man had still risked his life during the attack in the Safari Zone to protect others. What kind of spirit was that?
Lance felt it was worth holding Nozomi up as a positive example—something to remind those within the League who only acted when personal profit was involved.
Nozomi, on the other hand, didn't think of himself as noble. He simply acted according to what he wanted to do.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, he didn't refuse Lance's new request either.
For one, Dark City was indeed on the route between Fuchsia City and Cinnabar Island. For another, he remembered that Dark City had been a notable episode in the original story.
Might as well stop by and take a look.
"Alright, I'll handle it," Nozomi agreed.
"Good. If anything happens, just deal with it as you see fit." After the battle against Team Rocket, Lance completely trusted Nozomi's judgment.
The two talked a while longer about the League's current situation and future plans, then ended the call.
When the call disconnected, Nozomi stretched lazily and sighed in amazement.
"So this is what it feels like to be filthy rich."
The Silph Co. endorsement in Saffron had already secured him a comfortable future—he'd never have to worry about food or clothes again. But now, with a building in his name, he had effectively stepped into Kanto's upper class.
Forget everything else—just renting out that Saffron skyscraper would bring in more yearly income than his entire endorsement deal.
"So this is the thrill of sudden wealth…"
He'd also confirmed one simple truth: being a good person really did pay off.
In high spirits, Nozomi bid farewell to Nurse Joy and departed from Fuchsia City.
Since he had already agreed to check on Dark City, there was no reason to delay.
He recalled that Dark City's story involved two rival Gyms fighting viciously for official recognition—harassing townsfolk and causing chaos in the city.
That sort of mess was best resolved quickly, before things spiraled even further out of control.
As he made his way toward Dark City, Nozomi ran into a strange old man.
"Hey, young man—want to hear a tune on the flute?"
Beside the road, an old man sat on a rock, smiling cheerfully as he held up a flute.
"A flute?"
Nozomi raised an eyebrow.
He'd encountered bandits from Team Rocket, people asking for help—but never anyone blocking the road just to play him a song.
"This one right here!"
The old man proudly pulled out a peculiar flute.
It was red and white, with a round ornament that looked like a Poké Ball embedded in the middle—almost as if a flute had been threaded straight through a Poké Ball.
"That's… a Poké Flute?"
Nozomi immediately recognized it.
In both the games and the anime, the Poké Flute was a special instrument used to wake sleeping Snorlax.
"Well now, young man, you sure know your stuff! How about it—care to hear me play a tune? Only costs one loaf of bread!" the old man grinned.
"..."
Nozomi was speechless.
Still, something about this scene tickled his memory.
"Is there a village up ahead?" he asked.
The old man blinked in surprise, then nodded. "There is, yeah—but how'd you know? You from there or something?"
That confirmed it for Nozomi—his memory wasn't wrong.
In the original story, Ash and his friends had passed through a village that was suffering from drought because a Snorlax had blocked the river. And if he remembered right, this same old man was the one who traveled around using his flute to wake up Snorlax wherever they caused trouble.
"Is there a Snorlax nearby?" Nozomi asked again.
The old man froze. "How'd you know that too?"
He eyed Nozomi's travel gear suspiciously. How could this kid know so much?
"I heard the local river's been blocked by a Snorlax, so I came to capture it," Nozomi said matter-of-factly.
"Capture a Snorlax?" The old man stared at him as if he'd heard a joke. "Listen, you can only wake a Snorlax with this flute of mine!"
He had spent his whole life waking up road- and river-blocking Snorlax for a living, charging a fee each time—but he'd never met anyone who could wake one without a Poké Flute.
"You don't believe me?" Nozomi asked.
"Of course not!" the old man huffed, then added more firmly, "Even if you could wake it, you'd never capture it!"
He spoke from experience—Snorlax were immensely powerful. He'd never managed to catch one himself, despite a lifetime of encounters.
And worse, if a Snorlax was awakened the wrong way, its temper was nothing short of explosive.
To the old man, this naive young trainer clearly stood no chance.
Nozomi simply shrugged. "That Snorlax doesn't belong to you, does it?"
"So what if it doesn't?"
The man frowned, clearly confused by the question. He tracked and numbered Snorlax across Kanto, waking them at regular intervals each year—but he wasn't their Trainer.
"Then there's no problem."
Nozomi's eyes gleamed with interest. He'd long wanted a Snorlax.
Back when he used to watch the anime, he'd often wondered what it would be like to use one as a giant mattress—just lying back on that soft, round belly sounded heavenly.
When he first arrived in this world, he'd been too broke to even consider it. But now? Now he owned a building. Keeping a Snorlax would be easy.
Seeing Nozomi march toward the village without another word, the old man hesitated, then followed him.
He wanted to see how this young fool planned to take down a Snorlax—and maybe, when the beast inevitably went berserk, save his life and charge him for it.
Nozomi noticed the old man trailing him but didn't care. He followed the dried-up river upstream, pushing through brambles until, deep within the forest, he found it—
A Snorlax sprawled across the river's mouth, fast asleep, snoring thunderously. With each breath, a massive bubble of snot inflated and deflated from its nose.